Heartaches and Sacrifices
by Disney88
Summary: While out on a walk, Balto and Tod are attacked by a bear. In the aftermath of the attack, they both learn some surprising secrets about each other. This is only chapter 1. I intend for there to be at least 2 to 4 chapters after this.
1. Chapter 1

Balto and I were taking a walk through the forest. It was a nice, relaxing day. Nothing was really happening so we just decided to have some downtime. Suddenly I heard a sharp snap in the forest.

Balto and I both gasped and I looked around, trying to find what had made that noise.

"Get behind me,'' Balto ordered. I ran behind afraid of what was to come.

"Are you behind me?'' Balto asked, his voice gruffer than usual.

"Yes,'' I answered rather timidly.

"Good.''

There were times where Balto could be really sweet and nice and give me my space and there were times where he could be really protective and aggressive of me. The latter was one of these times.

I continued to crouch behind him, my heart pounding. The bushed in front of us made a loud rustling noise and Balto growled, preparing to strike. The bushes parted and a large bear came out, looking menacing and fearless. I gasped a little but I could barely hear it through Balto's angry growl- and the roar of the bear in front of us.

He came towards us, walking on all fours. It seemed as if the ground shook whenever he came towards us. I let out a small whimper but Balto stood his ground. He refused to show fear in front of the bear, even though he could obviously get killed.

The bear let out another vicious roar, this time so loud it felt as if the noise had crawled into my ear and settled there. I screamed in pain and crouched to the ground, my ears ringing.

Balto leaped at the bear, biting it right in the face. The bear howled in pain and swatted Balto away from him as if he were a fly. Balto came soaring towards the ground, landing with a hard thud in a puddle of leaves.

The bear roared a third time, inching closer to Balto. Balto blinked a few times and shook his head; it looked as if he was trying to concentrate. Balto stood up and darted towards the bear's leg, clamping down hard.

The bear yelled in pain and swung its paw at Balto's back, ready to kill. However, Balto saw this coming, and dove out of the way. The bear swiped at the ground and fell down, having temporarily lost its balance.

Balto ran towards me, his brown eyes wide and fearful. I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wad too paralyzed with fear to move.

"Go! You have to get out of here!'' Balto yelled, his voice going up an octave.

"What?'' I gasped, confused. What was he talking about? I couldn't leave him here all by himself. I wasn't leaving him.

I saw the bear paw coming towards me and I gasped just in time to feel the full force of the strike. I winced in pain for a couple of seconds, and then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up in a daze. My ears were ringing and my head was spinning. My view was cloudy and the only thing I could see in front of me was what appeared to be a green blob. I winced and tried to stand. I felt dizzy, as if I might pass out. I blinked a few times, trying to wake up.

The green blob slowly came into vision and I saw it wasn't really a blob at all but a tree. I groaned in frustration. I must have really hit my head.

Just then I heard a deep, rough voice say "Tod? Are you feeling alright?''

My eyes shot up towards the voice. Balto was standing beside me, looking worried. I tried to speak, but my voice was hoarse.

"Balto,'' I rasped. I winced again as I felt the throbbing in my head increase. What had happened?

"Come on,'' Balto said. "I'll help you get up.'' He gently picked me up with his teeth and pulled me up to my feet. I staggered a bit, feeling the same dizziness as earlier.

"Woah, hold on there,'' Balto said, using his paw to keep me from falling.

"I'm sorry,'' I apologized. "I'm just…so tired.''

"That's alright,'' Balto said. "I'll help you.'' I felt his teeth gracefully scrape against my fur and Balto started pulling me toward the direction of our home.

I don't know how he managed to get me there without me passing out; I was so weak. As soon as we got home, Balto laid me down on the soft ground.

I moaned as he did this; my side ached as I slid down on the grass-covered forest floor. I wanted to move but the pain held me down.

"I'll go get something to keep you warm.'' Balto's voice drifted off as I heard footsteps brush through the ground.

I huddled myself against the leaves, trying to dull the pain. I could feel the blood slowly starting to seep back into my body and I sighed. I was going to be alright. The throbbing in my head was starting to decrease and the ringing in my ears had died. I was beginning to feel the pain subside and the soft context of the grass.

Suddenly I heard Balto cry "I got something for you love!''

I tried to turn my head but my neck hurt. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Balto carrying a large branch with its leaves still attached. Balto reached me, tore the leaves off, and began to put the leaves on top of me. Now that my vision was clear, I looked at Balto more closely. I spotted a long, deep cut on the side of Balto's face.

I felt my heart begin to race. Was he ok? Was he in pain? Why wasn't he being attended to? Naturally, my first instinct was to protect and care for him, so I decided to fill that role now.

"Balto,'' I said. "your face…it's cut.''


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Balto turned to me. "Don't worry about that. It'll heal.'' He reassured me.

"No, it's…it's not. It's not ok. Let me look at you.'' I said, trying not to overreact. As I was saying this, however, my heart was beginning to race. I hoped he hadn't been hurt too badly.

I quickly looked him over in hopes of seeing any injuries. What I saw horrified me; there were large cuts and scrapes on Balto's side and chest. Tufts of fur had been ripped out; his right ear had a nasty cut on it. I instantly felt my heart ache. He had endured all of this…for me?

"Balto,'' I said. I could feel my eyes beginning to water. "Come here.''

Balto limped toward me, grunting every time he got closer. He eventually reached me and looked down at me with large, sorrowful eyes.

"Oh babe,'' I said, my heart breaking after seeing him so close. The scars on his body were much more apparent up close. I paused for a second before saying "Come sit down. Lie here with me.''

I made way for Balto as he sat down next to me. I cuddled up next to him, wanting to comfort him. Balto hugged me back and pulled me closer.

There were a lot of things that we had to talk about but right now I was content with just sleeping with him. Slowly, we closed our eyes and drifted off into sleep. We slept until the sun went down and the crickets started chirping.

I awoke with a groan and lazily looked around, wondering what time it was. Balto groaned next to me and stood up, grunting when he put pressure on his left paw.

"It still hurts?'' I asked. Balto nodded.

"I'm sorry baby,'' I said apologetically. I didn't know what else to say. I kept thinking it was my fault, even though I knew it wasn't. If Balto hadn't stepped in to defend me, he wouldn't be injured right now.

"It's ok. You had nothing to do with it Tod.'' Balto said.

"But…I couldn't save you from that bear.'' I explained. Balto shook his head.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.'' Balto turned away from me, ashamed. I could feel my heart ache for him. My baby was hurt and I wanted to make him feel better.

"That's not true Balto. You did your best.'' I reassured him. Balto wasn't listening to me. He was having his little moment of self-pity. The one thing I discovered about Balto is that he always tends to pity himself when failure occurs, even though he is far from a loser. He's not a loser; he's a hero. He saved a whole town and I'll remind him he'd a winner every day for the rest of my life to convince him otherwise.

"Hey,'' I said, trying to get Balto's attention. He turned to me.

"You did a really good job protecting me today, even if you did get hurt. Without you I probably wouldn't be alive. You were big and strong and stood your ground and for that, I'm grateful. Thank you.''

"You're welcome,'' Balto rasped. "Now if you don't mind I'll go find us something to eat.''

"Ok. Be safe.'' I said.

"I will.'' Balto said, and walked out of the cave and into the forest surrounding our house. I watched him walk off with a small smile on my face.


	4. Chapter 4

It felt like ages before Balto came back. I was sitting there, at home, in the dark, waiting for him. The wind bit into my skin and I buried myself deeper into the leaves, hoping they would keep me warm.

I heard a twig snap, and I looked up to where I had heard the noise. However, I saw no one. Dark, empty shrubbery stared back at me. I was starting to get worried; he'd been gone for a while. When was he coming back? Had he been caught in the dark? Had the bear come back and finished him off? Was he lying in a ditch somewhere? My heart started beating out of my chest. Oh God, where was Balto?

I tried moving around a bit, hoping to ease some of the tension in my body, but the tension kept building. I felt sick; I felt like I was going to throw up. I heard another twig snap, this time much closer to me, and I gasped. That had scared the hell out of me. Who was there? Was that Balto… or was it something else? Something bigger? Something stronger? Something evil?

I sat there, paralyzed with fear, unable to move. I heard another twig snap, this time right outside the cave, and I felt my heart leap into my throat. I tried to speak but I felt my throat ache. I heard footsteps approach the cave, and I felt panic set in. I tried to bury myself deeper into the leaves, hoping to hide myself.

I heard footsteps enter the cave and I nearly shrieked in fear. This was it! I was done for! This predator was going to find me and eat me or worse, kill me and leave me to be found by Balto. I whimpered at the thought of Balto finding my body. Suddenly I heard a voice break through my thoughts.

"Tod?'' My breath caught in my throat. It was Balto!? Oh thank the Lord. I thought it was someone who was going to kill me in my sleep. I breathed a sigh of relief as Balto stepped into the cave and I met those gorgeous brown eyes of his. My heart calmed down and I stopped shivering. Balto was here. He was safe. He was here in the cave with me. Everything was alright. Balto stepped further into the cave, entering my line of vision.

Even though the attack was hours ago, Balto still looked damaged; the bare skin that had been exposed due to the tufts of fur being ripped out was scarred and red; his nose was cut beyond recognition, and he winced every time he limped.

Balto gave me a weak smile as he set down the piece of meat he was holding. Upon further inspection, I realized it wasn't meat at all, but a carcass of a dear. I didn't have much experience with eating dear, but I was hungry and I was up for eating anything. Balto walked off, sitting down on the ground next to me. I didn't move, waiting for him to make the first step.

"Aren't you going to eat?'' I asked Balto, my tone light. I didn't want to push him or anything; I just wanted to make sure he ate.

Balto shook his head.

"I'm not hungry,'' he said, his voice barely a whisper. He obviously didn't feel like talking.

"Well, just eat a little bit,'' I said. "You have to eat something after what happened earlier. Get your strength back.'' I gestured to the dear carcass with my head. Balto laid there in silence, a lost look in his eye. He looked…sad. Broken. It tore at my heart to see him like this so I decided to speak up.

"Hey babe, you ok?'' Balto looked over at me, his expression dull. I immediately regretted what I had said, and began tearing off bits and pieces of the carcass. I looked at Balto, and, seeing his sad face, decided to cheer him up.

"Come on. You should eat something.'' I suggested, before sinking my teeth into a leg. I moaned. So good.

"I don't want to,'' Balto said quietly, looking out towards the cave. I swallowed the leg, feeling the piece of meat go down my throat.

"You have to eat _something_.'' I said, putting emphasis on the last word. He had to eat; he hadn't eaten all day with the exception of this morning.

"Tod, I don't want to,'' Balto said, now sounding slightly aggravated. I sighed. I had to tread carefully now. He was in a bad mood.

"If you just eat a little something… I'm sure you'll feel better.'' I said, trying to sound reassuring. However, I knew my tone was anything but reassuring.

It was Balto's turn to sigh now.

"Tod, I'm fine, really. I'll eat when I'm hungry. '' Balto said, trying his best not to sound angry. I nodded. I understood.

"Ok. Well, when you do, do you want me to help you?'' I said, trying to sound neutral but failing. I was horrible at hiding my emotions around him. I knew he could feed himself, but I couldn't help wanting to reach out. Though I hated to say this, I felt bad for him.

"I'm not a victim Tod,'' Balto said gently but firmly. He always spoke this way to me when he wanted to _really_ talk to me, when he wanted to hammer a point home.

I immediately shut up, realizing I had crossed a line. I had offended him. I had treated Balto like he was less than, like he was incompetent. I had treated _Balto_, the great dog who had saved Nome, like a loser. A failure. A _victim._

Shame immediately warped its way into my heart. I was always doing the wrong thing. I tried to be nice, but I ended up treating him like shit. I tried to be compassionate, but I came off as condescending. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes. My husband was in pain, and I couldn't help him.

I wanted to speak up, say something, but my mouth wouldn't let me. It was being pressed together by invisible glue, preventing me from speaking. Balto continued staring off into space, looking bored.

I shook my head. This was all wrong. Balto never closed himself off to me like this. Being careful to not disturb him, I broke the silence between us.

"You know, you can talk to me about anything, right?'' Balto looked up from where he was staring and cocked his head at me.

"Yeah,'' he breathed, his voice huskier than usual. He always spoke in a lower tone when he was sad.

"I know I can.''

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. What was he upset about? Did he still feel like he had failed in protecting me? It wasn't his fault; it was no one's fault, really. Sometimes things just happen. And anyway, that was over now. He didn't have to hold on to it anymore.

"Do you have something on your mind?'' I asked, taking another piece for myself. He wasn't getting away that easy; I was going to get to the bottom of this. Balto twisted his mouth into a frown, something he always did when he was agitated, and turned to me.

"Look Tod, I just- as your husband, I feel like it's my job to protect you.'' Balto explained, his eyes momentarily drifting towards the ground before shooting back up at me. He always did this when he was trying to get some big announcement off his chest. I sat there, waiting for him to finish his thought. Where was this going to go?

I nodded, urging him to go on. Balto drew in a large breath before releasing it, the sound filling the quiet silence of our home. I stood there, watching him.

"I just- it saddens me to think that I can't always be there to protect you,'' Balto stated, looking down.

"I don't need protection,'' I said quietly, hoping to soothe Balto's uneasiness. Balto looked me in the eye, dead serious.

"You did today,'' he reminded me, the truth hitting me in waves. He was right. I couldn't defend myself today. That was over though. Let's move on.

"I know. And that's over. I don't want to talk about this anymore.'' I said quickly, darting to get another piece of meat.

"You're the one who wanted to talk,'' Balto said, exasperated. I shot him a quick glance, seeing the fire behind those brilliant mahogany eyes. He looked upset. I sighed. He just called me out on my bullshit and I couldn't even defend myself. Damn I thought Just when I thought I could get away with that one.

Balto was still looking at me, his gaze settled on me. He wanted to be honest? Fine, I was going to be honest.

"I didn't appreciate what you did back there,'' I said, a fierce indignation in my voice. I wanted to let him know how I really felt. Balto's face went from one of confusion to one of shock.

"What?'' he asked, his voice barely a whisper. I realized immediately how bad that sounded, and decided to explain myself.

"No, that's-that's not what I meant.'' I said, trying to compartmentalize my thoughts. Even as I said it, I knew I was lying. What Balto did was inherently selfish. He put himself in danger, not even thinking about how I would feel.

"I think that's exactly what you meant,'' Balto spat, his anger rising. Now he was pissed. I had truly woken up the wolf in him.

"How can you say that Tod?'' Balto asked, disgust in his voice.

"No please, I- let me explain,'' I said. I could feel my heart break all over again. No, no, _no_. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. I was supposed to talk to him, tell him how I was feeling, not make him angry.

"Oh, you've done enough explaining already, trust me, '' Balto growled, his tone sounding much harsher than before. He began pacing back and forth, trying to control his temper.

"No I, I can't. I can't lose you,'' I said, tears streaming down my face. Balto stopped in his tracks and looked up at me. I was a hot mess; my eyes were red from crying. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks in waves. I tried to speak again, but my throat clogged up. I began to shake uncontrollably, unable to control my emotions. I let a small whimper escape my lips, and I looked downward, completely breaking down. This was awful. It was my worst nightmare come to life. Balto had almost died, and he had shrugged it off so casually.

I heard footsteps approach me and I looked up to see Balto less than a foot away from me, a sad, sympathetic look glowing in his eyes. Balto wrapped his arm around me, and pulled me into his chest. I sobbed as soon as my face made contact with his fur, not even bothering to hide my emotions. Today _hurt. _It hurt to know he had almost died today.

"I almost lost you,'' I gasped, my voice sounding foreign even to me. "In a split second, my whole life was almost over. I thought I was going to wake up all alone. I'd wake up and you'd be gone. When I asked you about your injuries and you just shrugged it off like it was no big deal, it hurt. I thought you were going to die, and the fact that you dismissed my feelings really hurt.''

I felt Balto's grip on me slacken and I tried to take in a deep breath but my lungs wouldn't open. I sputtered some more, allowing snot and tears to fall. Balto held me close to him, allowing me to cry. I tried to stop the tears from falling, but they kept coming.

"It's just- I was so scared,'' I said, refusing to look up at Balto. "I was afraid something might've happened to you. I wasn't sure.''

"Oh Tod,'' Balto said, his voice cracking "It's ok. I'll be alright.''

"I know I just-I can't stop thinking about it,'' I said, my throat swelling up. "It's just-when I saw you run towards the bear, it took my breath away. I thought I'd never see you again. I can't have you leave me. Not like my mom.'' I heard Balto suck in a breath. I knew what he was thinking; he was in shock. I had never told anyone how I felt after my mom died, with the exception of Vixie and Copper.

Most of the time it was too hard to say aloud. For some reason though, it felt like the right time. I felt like I had to get this off my chest, like it was a physical weight holding me down. Now that I had told him I felt free. I felt like I could move again, like I could breathe again.

I heard Balto clear his throat and I felt his chest rise before falling. I looked up at him, expecting for him to say something. Balto smiled weakly at me, then reached over and kissed me.

"I'm sorry Tod,'' he apologized. "I really am.'' I shook my head. No need to apologize. It was all said and done.

"For the record, I was scared too,'' Balto admitted. I looked back up at him; now it was my chance to furrow my eyebrows at him.

Balto saw my confused look, and nodded, understanding my confusion.

"I didn't grow up with my parents,'' Balto explained. "And growing up, I -I was always used to having to defend what was mine. When I saw you, I jumped in to save you.'' I could feel my heart warm as he mentioned this. Oh Balto. I reached over and kissed him.

"Come on,'' I breathed. "Let's go eat.'' We turned to the food in front of us and began eating.


	5. Final Chapter

Balto and I were taking a walk through the forest. It was a nice, relaxing day. Nothing was really happening so we just decided to have some downtime. Suddenly I heard a sharp snap in the forest.

Balto and I both gasped and I looked around, trying to find what had made that noise.

"Get behind me,'' Balto ordered. I ran behind afraid of what was to come.

"Are you behind me?'' Balto asked, his voice gruffer than usual.

"Yes,'' I answered rather timidly.

"Good.''

There were times where Balto could be really sweet and nice and give me my space and there were times where he could be really protective and aggressive of me. The latter was one of these times.

I continued to crouch behind him, my heart pounding. The bushed in front of us made a loud rustling noise and Balto growled, preparing to strike. The bushes parted and a large bear came out, looking menacing and fearless. I gasped a little but I could barely hear it through Balto's angry growl- and the roar of the bear in front of us.

He came towards us, walking on all fours. It seemed as if the ground shook whenever he came towards us. I let out a small whimper but Balto stood his ground. He refused to show fear in front of the bear, even though he could obviously get killed.

The bear let out another vicious roar, this time so loud it felt as if the noise had crawled into my ear and settled there. I screamed in pain and crouched to the ground, my ears ringing.

Balto leaped at the bear, biting it right in the face. The bear howled in pain and swatted Balto away from him as if he were a fly. Balto came soaring towards the ground, landing with a hard thud in a puddle of leaves.

The bear roared a third time, inching closer to Balto. Balto blinked a few times and shook his head; it looked as if he was trying to concentrate. Balto stood up and darted towards the bear's leg, clamping down hard.

The bear yelled in pain and swung its paw at Balto's back, ready to kill. However, Balto saw this coming, and dove out of the way. The bear swiped at the ground and fell down, having temporarily lost its balance.

Balto ran towards me, his brown eyes wide and fearful. I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wad too paralyzed with fear to move.

"Go! You have to get out of here!'' Balto yelled, his voice going up an octave.

"What?'' I gasped, confused. What was he talking about? I couldn't leave him here all by himself. I wasn't leaving him.

I saw the bear paw coming towards me and I gasped just in time to feel the full force of the strike. I winced in pain for a couple of seconds, and then everything went black.


End file.
